Resumé of Steve Van Nattan
1 Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am
also an elder, and a
witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a
partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God
which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint,
but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
BIO AND HISTORY
THE VAN NATTAN FAMILY
Dan
Mike
Steve
Mary Ruth
Elizabeth
Wife- Elizabeth- Helps in the ministry as my wife, not as a hired
hand. Elizabeth was
also raised in a missionary family in Africa.
Children- Mary, Mike, Dan, Ruth- Serve in the work of the local
church with us.
Music, Web Journal, computer helps, and zeal for
the narrow way.
Phone: (865) 717-0962 (800) 338-8863
STEVE'S BIO
Steve Van Nattan-- Born-- February 9, 1943 in Los Angeles, California
Raised--
In a pastor's home in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and the
California High Desert until 1954.
Born again at age 7 through my
parents witness and Theodore Epp's radio ministry.
Remaining childhood through 1962 in missionary family in Tanzania and Kenya.
College-- BIOLA University. BA in Religious Education-- 1962-67
BIOLA is now totally
reprobate.
US Army-- 1968-70- Honorably discharged at rank of E-5.
Teacher-- Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music-- 1970-71.
This school is now Neo-Evangelical.
Missionary-- Sudan Interior Mission-- 1972-74. Ethiopia Youth
camp ministry.
Left field due to Marxist coup. Disclaimer-- SIM is now Neo-Evangelical.
Gospel Furthering Fellowship-- 1974-76. Kenya Bible Institute
director and church
planting. Left field in the hands of Kenyan
Christians.
Pastor-- Yermo Bible Church-- 1976-81 Yermo, CA-- High Desert. Left in joy.
Interlakes Baptist Church-- 1981-83 Delton, MI-- Left because
the church divided.
I do not fight with Christians, only with
the devil.
The Little Remnant Church (Now Cross and Crown Baptist)-- 1983-1995
References supplied at the end. Left in sorrow that we had to
move to Arizona
to care for Steve's parents. But we did not leave in
shame or fighting etc.
1995-present- I moved to Arizona to care for my parents and
pastor a house church in
our home. During this era, Blesssed
Quietness Journal came into existence as a
Journal on
the
Internet.
OBJECT OF THIS RESUME
Philippians 3:14, "I press toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus." I
am now pressing on to the next calling in service to Christ's Church.
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT:
I prefer that you also read What I Believe via the KJV.
1. The Word of God
is 100% without error in the Words and thoughts in the Textus
Receptus
of the Greek, and in the last Bible for this age, The King James Bible 1611.
God's preservation of His
Word today is as absolute and supernatural as the
inspiration of the
original manuscripts.
2. The history of the Word
of God is derived from the Eastern texts of Antioch, Syria,
and
Byzantium and was brought to the English speaking people through the
efforts of
Reformation and Anabaptist martyrs. The Whorish Vaticanus
and Siniati-cuss
texts are mongrel and spurious counterfeits of the
Word.
Any Greek text or Bible derived from the efforts of Westcott and
Hort is trash.
3. I will never knowingly
correct the Word of God or use the study of the Greek to
exalt
scholarship, cause questions in the minds of the Saints, or exalt myself
or my
friends.
4. I teach a moderate
Calvinism. The atonement is NOT limited. God elects some
to
Salvation, but men, within their limitations, also have full choice. In
the New
Testament, election is almost always having to do with Israel,
which has not inherited
the covenant of Jesus Christ to the nation of
Israel. The Gospel is also a "whosoever
will" Gospel. I also use a
Dispensational framework for dividing the eras of God's
work, though I
reject the God-in-a-box application of the discipline.
5. I teach the historical
Anabaptist and Baptist doctrines (avoiding Phariseeism)
with
regard to the Deity of Christ, Virgin Birth, the Vicarious Atonement,
Salvation by
Faith in the Death and Resurrection and Blood of Jesus
Christ without works, Bodily
Resurrection, Perseverance and Eternal
Security of the Saints, and the Coming of
The Lord Jesus Christ for
His Church prior to a literal seven year Tribulation, which
will be
followed by Messiah's Second Coming and His literal 1000 year reign with
His Saints.
I reject the "line of Blood" notion alleging that the Baptist
movement started with John
the Baptist. I teach church history to the
saints, stressing that God always had His
faithful ones OUTSIDE of the
Roman Whore. I have a very skeptical view of the
Reformation. I expose
the Roman Whore, not "reform" it. I have NO interest in the
modern
notions of "Baptist Heritage" which claims that the Baptist movement
started
with John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, or Paul. The word Baptist
is not in Church History
until about 1400 AD. Nor do I tolerate the
"Brider" caste system used by some heretic
Baptists, also known as
"Landmark" Baptists.
6. I believe that Eternal
Life is offered freely to anyone who will repent of his sins,
be converted, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for his righteousness,
and with his mouth
make confession unto Salvation. Romans 10:9-11; Acts 3:19. I believe that every
believer is a "personal worker" and will eagerly speak about Christ to
the lost and
hand out tracts. True believers will visit the sick, show
compassion and hospitality to
the saints, and they will give of their
resources to see that the Gospel is spread around
the world. All true
believers, especially church leaders, will be eager to examine their
lives and conform to the image of Christ.
The notions of "called to preach" and "surrender to preach" are not
New Testament
terms, nor are the results of these terms biblical. God
has used "the foolishness of
preaching" in EVERY believer to win souls.
Preachers are SHEEP, not masters or
lords over the saints. Their only
distinction is the gift to teach-- nothing else. Leadership
in the
Lord's Church is the duty of all godly sober men of adult age.
7. Every true believer
will want to know where and who the Wolf is, and he will
be
attentive to warnings from the leaders of the Church who will all
participate in
defending the Flock of God. I give definite attention
to search out the devices of Satanic
attack on the saints, expose
Liberalism, Neo-Evangelicalism, Charismaniacs, and
wandering
Fundamentalists. I expose by name local and famous heretics and
wandering stars by showing their teachings and wicked acts. For
example, Benny Hinn,
Oily Roberts, Jack Van Impe, Billy Graham, Chuck
Swindol, Rodney Howard Browne,
Dr. James Dobson, Ichabod Schuyler,
John Hagee, and many more. I also keep a list of
local wolves who are
not allowed to enter the assembly of the believers lest they rend
the
flock.
Policy:
Really wicked men receive only mocking from me-- I believe I have the mind
of Christ in this. Psalm 2:4 He that
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall
have them in
derision.
CONDUCT OF THE MINISTRY AND PERSONAL CONVICTIONS:
This section is
intended to be reasonably complete. It should only be considered if
there is one mind on the foregoing. Most resumes are very brief and do not
include a section
like this because getting hired is the priority to
most men. My priority is "one mind" as
required of the Church by the
Apostle Paul.
Nor is my objective to
take over your mind. If there are areas of disagreement, show me
where I am wrong USING ONLY THE KING JAMES BIBLE, or kindly consider
the
possibility that you need to take instruction in the area of
disagreement. That is what
Paul means by "one
mind." One mind is arrived at as "iron
sharpeneth iron", rather than,
"I run this church" which is all
too common in "board run churches", "pastor-dictatorships", and "...but my
wife says."
Hence:
1. The Ministry-
Every Christian should be given to the ministry of the local
church,
know his Spiritual gifts, and use them. Deacons and leaders
should be servants, not lords,
and they should be obeyed by those whom
they serve. Gripers and rebels should be
rebuked in love, then sent
packing if they refuse to repent. If that reduces the
church
numerically, so be it (John
6:46-71).
Those who are growing, even though slowly, should be encouraged and
served.
As pastor, I should be both servant and teacher, "not neglecting the work of an
evangelist." I will
not tolerate the guruizing of my ministry, rather; I shall encourage
all of the leading men to participate according to their gifts. A
leader should be eager
to pray openly, witness publicly, show
hospitality, keep confidentialities, and use his
Spirit-given gift.
I will reject any Bible college or outside human authority taking
over the pulpit and mind
of the church, even from afar. Examples: Bob
Jones, Peter Ruckman, Hyles, Baptist
associations, or me. The mind of
the local church must be DIRECTLY under The Lord
Jesus Christ. Nor will
I approve of the pulpit being used by those who are mere
do-gooders or
political hucksters, such as the Gideons. I know how to hand out Bibles
without the help of Episcopalians.
My wife will not be a leader in the church, either in board meetings
or on the phone.
She will be available to mediate only conflicts
involving godly young people and born
again ladies who are already in
submission to their own husbands and the authority of the
church. She
will not know what goes on among the leading men where confidentiality
is
essential. She will do, or be present at, all of the "pastoral"
counseling with ladies.
I do not ever counsel ladies. Elizabeth will
be on hand to teach the Word to ladies when
this is appropriate.
2. Charismatic
Movements- I will not tolerate it in the church. Those who come
in
from such groups will be examined as to their genuine salvation, and
they will be required
to sit still and learn for a number of months
before they participate in anything. I will
expose the demonic nature
of the cult at regular "Wolf File" sessions. However; I do
not
want to be judged as I encourage the godly men to shout "Amen", or "lift
holy hands"
if the Holy Spirit leads them.
3. Baptism- The
only biblical mode is immersion of believers who have openly
confessed
faith in Christ before the Church and the world. I resist a long period
of
instruction and a "membership class" before baptism because I don't
find them in the
Bible accounts of baptism. Nor do I find "church
membership" as commonly practiced.
I only want to know if you are a
member of the Body of Christ. Baptized saints with a
good testimony,
who are seeking fellowship where I pastor, will NOT be required to
be
re-baptized. Those coming from non-immersionist churches may need
re-baptism.
4. Lord's Supper-
It should never be a tack-on ten minute event. It will be holy
and
family-like, and I prefer it in the evening. I will not serve the
Lord's Supper while the
church is fighting or "not
discerning the Body," that is, not in good fellowship with
one
another. Deacons should be willing to serve the Lord's supper in
the homes of shut-in
saints and hospital rooms. The only requirement
to join in the Lord's Supper will be
to be born again and living a life
not openly wicked.
5. Church
Government- I shall resist any democracy or voting in a church I
serve,
and I have no tolerance for Robert's Rules of Order which Satan
uses to muddy the
waters. The New Testament requirement is to find
"one mind" and "decently and order."
I shall not run the church, nor will any other man or his wife. I
have only one life to live,
and I intend to spend it in the Lord's
Church, not a religious dictatorship or a humanized
democracy. II Corinthians 13:11. I realize this sounds radical
to many American
Christians, so I ask for one year of no democracy
while the New Testament model is
taught and practiced. Then you may
"turn ye again to the weak and beggarly
elements"
if you wish, but I shall not chair "business
meetings."
If I am called, at the same business meeting which calls me, any
elections of leaders held
within the previous three months must be
voided. I ask that those previously removed
from office be reinstated
(and new leaders retained) in all business unless they have
been
removed from "church membership role" or are under church discipline. This
will
give me confidence that I have not become part of an ongoing
political war, and thanks
for your submission in the Lord. This
temporary arrangement will terminate in six months
with the new
leaders remaining and the past leaders stepping down.
6. Deacons, Elders, and
Pastors- Read II Timothy 3. If you have
deleted any of
the requirements for leaders which are found in that
text, kindly reinstate those standards BEFORE I arrive, and ask the men
who are disqualified to vacate the leadership and work
on II Timothy 3. If there are any leaders who are not
"given to hospitality," that is, their
homes are closed to the saints,
they must repent of this, or leave the "board." I shall not
judge any
who need to step down, but you ought to be mature enough to take care
of
business before I arrive. I am not candidating for a heart
attack.
7. Bus Ministry-
Did the Apostle Paul have a camel ministry? Answer: NO. I will
agree
to a bus ministry when all of the back seats of ALL of your leaders' cars
are full
of neighborhood kids Sunday morning. I will not drive of
maintain the buses.
8. The Family- Keep
the family together when the saints assemble. The only time I
tolerate
the children being separated from the adults is during some teaching times
and
when I am exposing some really vile Satanic material. The early
church did not run the
kids down stairs at every opportunity. "Suffer the little children to come" to the
Christlike
teaching men of the church.
I will resist a program, including Awana, that is so busy with
perpetual doo-wops that it
keeps many saints exhausted, spiritually
starved, and husbands and wives away from each
other. Busy is not
necessarily spiritual. Think of how long Abraham lived- 175 years.
We
don't see a frenzied driven man with great accomplishments to boast
of. What does the
Lord require of thee?
Micah
6:8, He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what
doth the LORD
require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with thy God?
I Corinthians 4:2, Moreover it is required in
stewards, that a man be found
faithful. "This we will do if God
permit."
A want nothing to do with the Patch the Pirate program. I will be
happy to explain. Only this--
Pirates and whores were absolutely the
same, and pirates are back-- They are high tech
thieves on the
Internet. No kid should be tempted to take on these attributes.
9. Christian
School- If you have one, it must be unregistered, 100% under the
New
Testament local church leaders, and I will NOT be the principal. I
will be the students'
pastor, that is all. We have 48 kid-years of home
schooling experience, and we may well
encourage members to home
school, even though you might have a Christian school. If
there is
an ongoing war over the church school and its funding in your assembly,
you
must agree to close the school this year, or don't call me.
10. Television- I
shall not waste the Lord's time warning you what programs are bad
on
TV, they are ALL bad and prepared by sodomites and Hellywood lushes. I
shall invite
you to disconnect your televisions from the outside world.
However; I will use video
equipment as a tool to present information
needed by the saints. A word on computers--
These are tools for both Satan and the Lord's Church. I shall be
talking about both
the blessing and the curse.
11. Worship-
Worship is not joking and chopping time. It should be a direct work of
the Holy Spirit, well prepared, but not in a menu form in a bulletin.
It must be open for
the mature saints to exalt God, request prayer,
share victories from the past week, and
in every way exalt the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. I encourage the godly men to come
with a word of
exhortation as the Spirit leads. Again, no comedy in the Lord's
house!
The music of the Lord's Church should not be a stage show. I prefer
no choir, "special
music," sexy cutie pie darling solos, boom box
accompaniment, or wild sweat-soaked
song leading. Song leaders must
first be zealous in the Word and soul winning, and that
zeal will
lead. I encourage the saints to exalt Jehovah with godly power and joy and
to
sing for a good long time, including the smallest child. Solos are
most pure spiritually when
they are spontaneous. I couldn't care less
if the technique is clever or the voice trained.
Most "trained" voices
are "trained" to exalt the singer. I despise these monster PA
systems.
Turn it down and let the church be its own PA system.
There will be, at the most, one or two outside music groups a year,
and then only if they
fully meet all of the standards of the New
Testament, no exceptions for your favorite
group please. I would work
toward a monthly "sing" with other churches where the
ONLY thing that
happens will be enthusiastic congregational singing, King James
Bible
reading, and no talent show. Psalm
29:2; I Tim. 3:2 and 8; Eph. 5:4 and 19
12. Race- Galatians 3:26-28. The church must be eager to win
all souls of all races and
depravities. I may have a side ministry with
ethnic people, so if you shun Blacks, Arabs,
or other groups, don't
consider me. They DO NOT "have their own churches." Some
Black
Christians have to travel up to 150 miles one way to get sound Bible
teaching.
I will welcome all who sincerely love the Lord and His
narrow way. However; I will not
let the church become a forum for
puerile activism or social change. "Politically correct"
is a worldly
standard above which the Church rises in Christ.
13. The Roman Catholic
Church- Contrary to Jack Van Impe's heretical claim,
the Whore
of Rome remains forever a Whore. I shall preach it regularly, and any who
are saved out of the Roman Whore will come out real soon, or I shall
assume they are
not saved. And, that goes for your dear Catholic
grandmother. However; I shall do
anything decent to draw a Roman
Catholic out of that hell hole, and I shall expect you to
do so as
well. If I am seen visiting with a Catholic priest, understand please that
he needs
to be saved, and pray for me as I seek his salvation. I presently am working on
two priests for Christ. Romans 16:17;
Psalm 2:4
14. Tracts- Tracts
are the easiest way to witness, and ALL leaders of the church will
be
expected to hand out tracts regularly. If this is new to you, I ask that
you be willing to
be discipled in this. I shall encourage the whole
church family, even the little ones, to
hand out tracts with zeal. It
is not obligation-- IT IS GODLY FUN!
15. Zeal- By now you must have
figured out that I want to see zeal in myself,
my family, and in you.
If that makes you feel rebellious, then you may not be
saved. I would
be delighted to pray about it with you. This resume is not a sell job. I
pray
that God will lead me to a church that will encourage ME to grow
in the Apostolic New
Testament model. If you have been dull in zeal and
know it, and if you will repent of it,
then Praise the Lord, and I'm
sure that we can work together. Indeed, you may help
me get my zeal up better-- I would love that too. Galatians 4:18.
16. Youth- The
eager youth will lead. The "Christian" flakes, ecclesiastical party
people, and the necking club will not be allowed to run the show, and
if their parents
defend their griping young people, they will be asked
to take their rebellion elsewhere.
That includes ALL parents.
Titus 2:6
The best thing the church can give their youth is a good example of
zeal for soul winning
and mighty worship. Special programs are mostly
baby sitting sessions to get the youth
through puberty and into
pregnancy. I shall treat the youth like Paul treated Timothy and
expect
zeal and spiritual fruit out of them, and I expect tenderness and prayer
for the
youth by their godly parents and church leaders. Children must
not be made the center
of church life, but they must be brought to
Jesus and, if they are saved, they should be
expected to produce the
fruit which their maturity level will allow. Matt. 19:14; I John 2:13
17.
Warfare- I realize some churches have not been
very well served
in warnings of the Wolf. I shall make this
a regular part of my
ministry, and I shall be available to
those who need deliverance from
devils and Satanic
oppression. If you don't want such things to be
dealt with,
don't consider me please. If you are willing to be
discipled,
well then, we can work with that. II Corinthians 2:11
When questions of dress and undress, hair, music, and
bad
language come up I shall not preach a sermon on that
problem for one or
two people. I (or a godly lady to a lady) will go to them and lovingly
admonish and rebuke them. I will not use the pulpit for a bully Pharisee
program.
I Timothy 5:2
18. Holidays-
Christmas originated in ancient
Babylon and Sumer in the cult of Gilgamesh and Marduk. It was then
transplanted into the church by the pagan Roman Catholic Whore. Jesus
wasn't possibly born on Dec. 25, and he told us to remember his death, not
his birth. The true church rejected Christmas until just 100 years ago. I
have a massive research on the subject going back to 3000 BC and including
new astronomical evidences. I would expect you would be willing to be
taught in this area. The historic Christmas story is not in the Gospels.
You will find it in Ezekiel 8.
Easter should be
called Resurrection Sunday and observed ONLY in joyful singing and
preaching about our Lord's Resurrection. The rest is sub-christian
paganism.
Halloween is Satan
worship, and I will not tolerate even an "alternative" activity for
the
youth, unless it is prayer and fasting for those babies and young
women who may be
raped and sacrificed on that night.
If you insist on observing pagan festivals, my family will leave
town while the festival is in
progress, including Christmass
decorations in the church house. I do make a big fuss over
Patrick, the
missionary to Ireland from the true church of Scotland. He was not a
Catholic,
never saw one, and preached the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I wear orange on St.
Patrick's day. I also like to see a
Memorial Day breakfast or picnic. In fact, I like church picnics (and
pitching horse shoes) just about any time I can get to one. :-) Ezekiel 44:23-24
19. The
Pulpit- My zeal in the pulpit varies from expository teaching
to
Gospel preaching. If I get to shouting I hope that the godly men will
join right in. Soul winning is a seven day a week job of the whole
church
family, so my job in the pulpit will be almost exclusively to
teach and fire
up the saints. If you expect your pastor to
walk-sinners-down-the-aisle
every Sunday, I'm not your man.
I expect to ALWAYS have the final say as to who fills the pulpit, and there will be very few guest speakers. When I am away, my first choice to fill the pulpit will be godly men in the church.
20. Missions- Every
saved soul is a missionary. Every lost soul is a missionfield.
I make
no distinction between home missions and foreign missions-- God loves the
whole
world. I expect all of the saints to be missionaries, and I will
expect a goodly portion of
the giving will go to missionaries who are
just as narrow as the church.
However; I will not keep a steady stream of missionaries running
through the pulpit to
amuse the church and give the impression that
soul winning is only far away. I will
examine all of the existing
missionaries to see if they are truly separated and doing some
real New
Testament work on the field. If they are not, I will try to help them get
their zeal
up, but, if that fails, they must be dropped, even your dear
nephew in Upper Slabovia.
I Timothy 5:22;
Psalm 26:2- This should be the spirit of every
missionary.
21. Genesis 19- To
the above I must add, if you have a s________ whom you are too timid
to deal with, please don't call me. I'm rough on rats with that one.
Just as there is no such
thing as a born again Roman Catholic, there is
no such thing as a born again overt
s_______. If a s________ repents
and gets obviously saved, then he must be received into
the Body of
Christ just like any other sinner. I Kings 15:12; II
Kings 23:7- If you have a
tolerant view of s______y because some
church member has a s__________ son etc, do
NOT contact me please.
22. The Wolf- To
other comments I must add, Satan is doing his last tango. I have a
very
large file on cults, denominations, and Eastern cults like karate and TM.
I shall
expect your attention and support as spiritual warfare is
declared. Acts 20:29-31
( See below for
special topics. )
23. Sunday School-
There was no Sunday School in the Lord's church for 1700 years.
It is
not a magic way to make good things happen. If you have it, fine, I shall
join right in,
but I also like the morning-long family praise,
missionary story time, worship, and preaching
service being used in
many churches.
I like the occasional brown-bag lunch Sunday format also, where the
morning ends with
everyone eating a light lunch, visiting a while,
then having the "evening service" in mid-afternoon. It leaves Sunday
evenings for church families to get together to sing, fellowship, attend a
faltering but sound church to encourage them, or take the Lord's supper to
shut-ins. It also makes the winter Sundays safer as folks can be home
before dark.
24. Marriage- I
will not join an unequal yoke. I will not marry a divorced person
to
anyone for any reason until the first spouse is dead. I will
not do "shot gun" weddings
with a pregnant bride unless there has been
public confession of sin by both parties. I
will not do interracial
marriages because they break "the bounds of
habitation" set by
God- Acts 17:26.
Regarding funerals- I do only those of known born again Christians.
No
fees are accepted for marriages of funerals.
25. Ordination- I
am not, nor ever will be, ordained or called "Reverend."
See Psalm 111:9
26. Divorce- I Timothy 3 still applies today regarding deacons and
elders. No
exceptions. Those who remarry after divorce are in open
adultery indefinitely. I know no
other interpretation of the Word, so
please don't tell me any heart rending stories to see
if I will modify
the Bible standard. Thanks.
27. Unregistered
church- I would expect you to receive teaching on the
unincorporated
church. A nonprofit corporation is an instrumentality
of the U.S. Government and has no
rights. This is now being used
by the New World Order and the U.S. Feds to whip
churches into line.
Will you at least take counsel? Mark 12:17; Rev.
22:15
[ Please understand this-- I do NOT mix tax rebellion with
the unregistered church issue.
Indeed, I am death on tax
rebellion. ]
28. "Candidating"-
There is no such thing in the New Testament, so it will be
important to
find a biblical ground for whatever is done during that period. I do ask
to be
given time to visit with the saints in your assembly in their
homes rather than be
cloistered in a motel or the head deacon's home
all of the time.
I do not care how many of the assembly approve of me in a vote, nor
do I want to be told,
but you the leaders must be in agreement before
you call me. If at first you were
not in total agreement, but then
came to "one mind" later, I don't care to know that and
be tempted to
divide you by majority and minority. I want to start out serving every
member
in the church as my friend, not just the "majority." Anyone who
immediately tries to trip me
up and prove that I was the wrong choice
will be brought before the leading men for church
discipline or simply
run off before his or her plans bear fruit. Experience and the Word bear
this out.
I don't want ANY of the leading men to come to me confidentially and
tell me some
sensitive matter- NOTHING PLEASE. I shall request such a
person be put under church
discipline at once. If there is a problem,
deal with it before I come. "Quit you like men."
If it is beyond your understanding, then we will take care of
it together BEFORE I come
as pastor, and it will
be handled in zeal, one mind, and Christian love with all of the
leading men gathered in mutual submission. Any ongoing problem or
discipline action
must be discussed by all leaders and myself gathered
in The Holy Spirit.
29. Salary- My
salary should be exactly enough, not any more, and not a penny less.
It should not be the salary of a hired gun, nor should it be a
"starting salary." It should
reflect obedience to Numbers 18:20-32 and I Timothy 5:17, and it should
meet the cost
of living in your area.
If you cannot supply a full salary, I can "mend tents" as the
Apostle Paul did until a full
salary is possible. I do not want to
learn that the sheep were sheared too closely before
I was called in
order to bribe me to come. Please balance these two verses-
II Corinthians 9:7, Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let him give;
not grudgingly, or of
necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Luke 10:7, And in the same
house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give:
for the
labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
As of 1996, I have been blessed with a small Web trade in piano parts and repair items. I need to maintain this as a cushion for retirement. It will stay at a part-time level.
We should not be expected to go into debt for a home while we serve
you, so please
consider these things prayerfully. I prefer living in a
church owned parsonage if that is
available.
30. Your Former
Pastor- Did you drive off you former pastor? If so, I
expect you to
explain. Afterward, I shall call the former pastor and
see what he has to say. If your church
is known for whipping
pastors, you don't want me-- I will not stand for that. If there was
a
sin problem with the former pastor, you MUST tell me the basic story
about it so that I
know what I am dealing with. I will not take
the side of a wicked pastor against the local
church's leaders on
principle, but I do need to know what your history is in the Lord.
Rom. 12:17
31. Church and State-
Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
The saints must pay their taxes personally, no matter how "unconstitutional" and unfair they may seem. God never promised that Caesar would be fair or born again. The local church must avoid all entanglements with Caesar, and this includes the Nonprofit Incorporation status which makes the local church a virtual instrumentality of the US Government.
32. Church
Finances- I will not collect an offering every time I have a
chance. I will teach
giving, and if the people don't give, I will go
get a job, or increase my outside vocational time
in order to meet our
needs. I will not coerce the saints and sheer them close. I do not
approve of wasteful publicity investments just to get the church name
all around the area.
This should be done by the saints as they meet
their neighbors. If there is a huge balance in
the church bank account
for no reason other than fear of failure, I shall insist that this be
used in soul winning and missions. The Lord's Church is NOT called to
go into the
investment business.
CONCLUSION:
The problem with this section of the resume is that, while I want
you
to know I am totally committed to the narrow way and to my
convictions, the thing can
sound like I am a fierce autocratic
character with no ability to work with people. Please
remember the next
few thoughts: If we disagree on something....
FIRST, let's see if is critical to our working together. If it is, then we may have to part company for now.
SECOND, If the disagreement is NOT critical, then you need to have the grace
to be willing to be taught, and I need to have the grace to let you retain your
convictions. BUT, neither of us should proceed on the assumption that we will
straighten the other one out later. And, we should both have the grace to keep
it between us and not make it an issue for the whole assembly.
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance
of his friend.
YOU
REALLY SHOULD BROWSE THE JOURNAL:
Go to: http://www.blessedquietness.com/
This Journal has been on the Internet since November 1996. We get about 3600
page loads a day. We have had a great deal of fruit in this ministry. If I were
called by any church to pastor or minister in any way, this Journal would come
with me.I would anticipate that you who examine me would agree heartily to have this
ministry based out of your church. If the Journal would embarrass you, then you
should not call me.As I mentioned above, our family has a developing Web based trade selling piano parts by mail. We would anticipate continuing this small business at a limited level
since this may well be our only retirement plan.
See the site at: http://www.stevespianoservice.com/
REFERENCES:
LEADING MEN IN GRANT
CHURCH MINISTRY:
[Names,
addresses, and phone numbers deleted on 11-3-06 upon request received by
email from Steve Van Nattan to protect the privacy of the listed persons.]
CHRISTIAN BUSINESS MAN
FRIEND:
[Name, address, and phone
number deleted on 11-3-06 upon request received by email from Steve Van
Nattan to protect the privacy of the listed person.]
PASTOR FRIEND:
[Name, address, and phone number deleted on
11-3-06 upon request received by email from Steve Van Nattan to protect
the privacy of the listed person.]
COLLEGE FRIEND WHO IS
STILL IN FELLOWSHIP WITH ME:
[Name,
address, and phone number deleted on 11-3-06 upon request received by
email from Steve Van Nattan to protect the privacy of the listed person.]
MY BANKER:
[Name, address, and phone number deleted on
11-3-06 upon request received by email from Steve Van Nattan to protect
the privacy of the listed person.]
LEADING MAN IN YERMO BIBLE
CHURCH:
[Name, address, and phone
number deleted on 11-3-06 upon request received by email from Steve Van
Nattan to protect the privacy of the listed person.]
CO-WORKER ON THE
MISSIONFIELD:
[Name, address, and
phone number deleted on 11-3-06 upon request received by email from Steve
Van Nattan to protect the privacy of the listed person.]
ONLINE READERS OF MY
JOURNAL, Blessed Quietness Journal and Friends
[Names and email addresses deleted on
11-3-06 upon request received by email from Steve Van Nattan to protect
the privacy of the listed persons.]
Other references can be provided, including former coworkers and
enemies for the
Gospel's sake, though that would destroy my reward. I
should warn you that, wherever
I go, I intend to make both friends and
enemies for the Gospel's sake. Do you have any
enemies for the Name of
Jesus?
GET TO
KNOW ME BETTER BY READING MY EDITORIAL:
The following links deal with my past in one way or other, but they
are less formal and show
what my adversaries will tell you is my weird
side. My friends love these pages. They are
found in the
online Journal called Blessed
Quietness Journal [ You must be online to access
these areas.
]:
The Journal Entry Page
HOUSE CHURCH HELPS
ALTERNATE ENTRY TO THE JOURNALBUILDING UP THE SAINTS--
PREACHING AND TEACHINGMORAL ISSUES AND GOD'S WORD ISLAM
SERMONS / BIBLE STUDIES ZEAL XMASS
GOOD NEWS CULTS FALSE RELIGION
THINGS FOR KIDS SODOMY EVOLUTION
SURVIVAL CS LEWIS WORLD ISSUES
HEALTH MATTERS WITCHCRAFT SHIRLEY
SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC COMFORT
MEAN FUNDAMENTALIST AFRICAN TALES
GREAT STORIES ABOUT GOD'S SERVANTS
THE KING JAMES BIBLE DEFENDED 'BACCA
My claims to be a hyphenated American
RESOURCES AND GOOD NEWS MENU
BIBLE PROPHECY AND THE END TIMES
ALLAH, DIVINE OR DEMONIC
Learn why Allah and Jehovah are NOT the same deitiesBROWSE THE DETAILED TABLE OF CONTENTS
STEVE'S VOCATIONAL SITE :
Pastor Steve Van Nattan's
Piano Business Site online
His Slave and Your Servant,
Pastor Steve Van
Nattan
Editor: Blessed
Quietness Journal
Formerly: "Balaam's Ass Speaks"
steve@balaams-ass.com
Phone
Toll Free: 1 (800) 338-8863
Address: P.O. Box 39,
Kingston,
TN 37763
Or stop by for a cup of coffee.
P.S. I Peter 1:13, Wherefore gird up the
loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end
for the grace that is
to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
